"Be the change you want to see"

Overcoming Obstacles

Let’s be honest, if achieving goals were easy then everyone would be out here in life prospering with no actual work. I feel as though obstacles of important in life because that is how you KNOW you really want to reach that goal. It’s the joy and journey of clearing those obstacles that make life rich and helps people feel truly fulfilled when they finally reach their pinnacle of success.

But, obstacles can also discourage people, which sucks because that is not what obstacles are supposed to do. Some reach that obstacle and give up instantly, don’t do that. Workaround your obstacle and reach that goal you’ve had set for weeks, month or even years.

Even when you feel that everything that could go wrong, goes wrong…do not give up. Keep pushing!

One obstacle I had to overcome was my information technology class during my sophomore year (yes, the class was my obstacle). One of the hardest classes I have ever taken to this date (and I’m a senior in college now), it was an obstacle because I wasn’t that great at programming BUT I ended the class with a great grade. How I overcame that obstacle was that I never gave up, late nights studying, practicing, and focusing on not failing (willing to put the work in).

(Side note: I was an Information Technology major once upon a time, yeah I switched to marketing right after that class; sometimes things aren’t for you and I had to realize that)

Here are four simple steps that might help you!!

Embrace self-awareness: acknowledge your obstacle and do not be in denial. If you continuously ignore the obstacle it won’t go away and you won’t grow. Do not make excuses for it either, or place blame on another person.

2. Use the Time to Your Advantage: You must learn to manage your impatience and be ready when the smoke clears. The harder the obstacle, the more time it will take to overcome. Set a preliminary schedule with clear milestones so you can track forward or backward progress

3. Commit to Focussed Discipline: True discipline is about making yourself emotionally commit time and effort to your benefit regardless of external factors. I knew I had to make myself accountable for my actions. I cleared out every distraction and vowed to add nothing new to my plate until I made progress. Make the obstacle the No. 1 priority and focus on it every day until it’s gone.

4. Engage Your Own Creativity: Quit banging your head against the same brick wall over and over. Take time to think things through and find creative solutions that bring fun and progress to the grind of obstacle removal.

Overcoming your obstacles will definitely help you with your personal growth. Once you master this your growth process may be a little easier being that many obstacles can appear.

Just don’t let your obstacles be the reason you give up! Work through them; they are put there to make you a better person in the long run. And plus, nothing feels better than overcoming that menacing part of your life and getting to where you want; especially when you thought you would never get through it!